The St. Louis Cardinals came out of the 2013 World Series in a hurry to prepare for the team's next shot.

It was only a few weeks before John Mozeliak had made a pair of substantial moves addressing the team's two most glaring needs from 2013—a shortstop and a centerfielder.

The assumption was that the Cardinals would have to give up a portion of their coveted young pitching in order to make a deal happen. Mozeliak made it happen both through free agency and a deal trading David Freese, a local hero in need of a change of scenery.

Looking toward the future, each of those acquisitions is capable of having an impact on the 2014 Cardinals. Following is a prediction for each of the Cardinals' four major off-season pick-ups.

There's no doubt that the latter half of 2013 marked the low-point (from a PR standpoint, not statistically) in what has already been an impressive career for Jhonny Peralta.

The coming season marks an opportunity for Peralta to revive his career and put the past behind him. A solid season in St. Louis give him the fresh start he needs.

The Peralta acquisition was hands-down the Cardinals most significant improvement of the offseason. Even a slight numbers dip due to the move between leagues could give the Cardinals a level of production from shortstop that they haven't seen in several years.

Corey Noles is a Cardinals Writer and Columnist for The Daily Statesman. He is also a regular contributor to KSDK.com and Bleacher Report. Contact him at cnoles@dailystatesman.com or on Twitter @coreynoles.